Where to stay in Colmar, in short: Little Venice or the old town for a first visit, the station area if you arrive by train and want lower prices, and the Exhibition Centre side if you drive. The town is small; the real challenge is finding a free room in December. We did not sleep in Colmar, we came in for a day. Check Colmar hotels and prices Ad
Best Areas to Stay in Colmar, France
6 areas · nightly rates
Night price is the rough range Booking showed on 15 October 2026 for the night of Tuesday 8 to Wednesday 9 December 2026, two adults, one night, before taxes and fees. Current prices are behind each area's link.
Little Venice (Petite Venise)
Best for: a first visit, couples and families who want to wake up by the water. Half-timbered houses line the Lauch canal here and the children's Christmas market is set up on the square. The price is the highest in town in December, and so are the crowds.
Nightly rate: 500-€550
Best for: First visit, couples, families
Getting around: Southern end of the old town; about 15 minutes on foot from the station
Best for: anyone who wants to stay out at the markets every evening and walk everywhere. The Dominicains, Ancienne Douane and Jeanne d'Arc markets and the indoor Koïfhus craft market are all in these lanes. Restaurants are full in December, so book dinner along with the room, and expect awkward access by car during market hours.
Nightly rate: 350-€650
Best for: Evenings at the markets
Getting around: In the middle of the markets; closed to cars in market hours
Best for: stepping off the train and reaching the hotel in five minutes, and paying less per night than in the old town. Regional trains and the village Christmas buses leave from here. The Dominicains market is about a kilometre away, roughly 15 minutes on foot.
Nightly rate: 230-€400
Best for: Train arrivals, tighter budgets
Getting around: Colmar station; Basel and Strasbourg trains
Transport: Basel 37 minutes and Strasbourg 25 minutes on the fastest trains (Omio); a free shuttle runs from the Bleylé car park to the markets on weekdays from 25 November to 29 December (noel-colmar.com)
No footage from this part of town; we include it because the station is where most rail visitors arrive.
Best for: drivers hunting the lowest December prices. Chain hotels sit 2 to 4 km out, most with free parking. On the four Christmas weekends you can leave the car at the Exhibition Centre and ride into town on a €5 day ticket (noel-colmar.com). On weekdays you drive or take a taxi in.
Nightly rate: 170-€270
Best for: Drivers
Getting around: 2-4 km out; weekend park-and-ride bus
Not for: anyone who wants to walk home from the markets
Best for: drivers who also want the village markets. On our trip we saw both villages and arrived in Colmar in the evening; the drive from Kaysersberg took about half an hour.
Eguisheim is 10 minutes from Colmar by car. Rooms are scarce: on 15 October 2026 Booking showed 12 free properties in Kaysersberg and 15 in Riquewihr for a December Tuesday. Riquewihr's market ends on 20 December.
All six squares are inside the old town and no more than ten minutes apart; the Ferris wheel and gourmet market stay open into January (noel-colmar.com). Any central area works, the difference is the walk home. Dates and hours are on our Colmar Christmas market page.
More about this area
Little Venice: the children's market square
Families get the kids' market on their doorstep, and the old customs square with its Koïfhus hall is a few minutes up the canal. Le Maréchal looks straight onto the stalls.
Old town: Dominicains and Jeanne d'Arc
The sixty-chalet market by the Dominican church and the local food stalls on Place Jeanne d'Arc are in these streets. Stalls shut on the dot: 19:00 Monday to Thursday, 20:00 Friday to Sunday.
On 15 October 2026 about 87% of Colmar listings were already taken for 8 to 9 December and 96% for Saturday 12 to 13 December. A refundable rate plus a Monday-to-Thursday night is the safest combination.
Best Hotels in Colmar: Five-Star Picks and 15 Hotels by Area
Our area-by-area shortlist: three five-star hotels and the standouts in each part of town. We have not stayed in any of them; the picks are based on location, Booking score and recent reviews, all checked on 15 October 2026. Names match Booking.
Hotel Le Colombier
Little Venice · 4 stars · 7 rue Turenne
For a canal-side stay: Booking 8.9 (3,056 reviews), location 9.8. Guests praise the location, roomy rooms, breakfast and staff; some find it pricey and one mentions door noise on the first floor. Family suite and paid parking.
Little Venice · 4 stars · Place des Six Montagnes Noires
For a romantic night: a 1565 building on the canal, Booking 8.6 (1,642 reviews), location 9.7. The Christmas decorations and staff get praise; rooms are small and top floors have low ceilings. Not for big suitcases.
Old town · 5 stars · inside the 1609 house of heads
For a night in a landmark: the hotel occupies the famous carved facade. Booking 9.0 (526 reviews). Building, rooms and restaurant are praised; one guest missed a lounge. Ask for parking in advance.
Old town · 4 stars · 290 m from the Dominicains market
For an indoor pool: Booking 8.5 (240 reviews), staff 9.5. Pool, staff and location are praised; standard rooms are tight and breakfast is ordinary. Few reviews, so read the latest. Paid parking on request.
Old town · 4 stars · next to the Unterlinden Museum
For drivers who want the centre: secure covered parking reached by car lift, maximum height 1.80 m. Booking 8.4 (1,760 reviews). Location and sauna are praised; rooms feel small for the price.
For location above all: Booking 8.3 (4,575 reviews), location 9.8. The historic building and staff are praised; December reviews call rooms small and dated and the wifi weak. No hotel parking.
Champ de Mars park · 5 stars · 750 m from the station
For a spa break: Booking 9.3 (1,398 reviews), cleanliness and comfort 9.7. Design, spa and staff are praised; rooms are small for the price. Private parking and family rooms.
For train travellers on a budget: Booking 9.1 (9,154 reviews), value 9.2. Breakfast and staff get the most praise; some rooms hear the trains. Limited free parking and family rooms.
Between station and centre · 4 stars · 5 minutes to the markets
For a modern, quiet room: Booking 9.0 (2,601 reviews), comfort and staff 9.5. The local-produce breakfast is praised; the garage is small and street-side rooms are noisy.
Exhibition Centre · 3 stars · 4 km from the centre
For drivers: free secure parking and EV charging, and the weekend park-and-ride bus leaves across the road. Booking 8.6 (4,105 reviews). Cleanliness and staff are praised; rooms are small.
For sleeping inside the village market: Booking 8.9 (1,124 reviews), location 9.7. Cleanliness and breakfast are praised; attic rooms are small. No hotel parking.
For a special night and a gourmet restaurant: Booking 9.3 (731 reviews). Pool, spa and restaurant are praised; restaurant tables are hard to get. Paid, limited parking.
For families with a car: free parking, two pools and family rooms. Booking 8.6 (2,572 reviews). Location and views are praised; rooms and luggage space are small.
Most of what stays free in Colmar at Christmas is apartments: of the 120 properties open for 8 to 9 December in our 15 October 2026 search, 82 were apartments, and old town flats for two showed roughly €350-410. A kitchen means breakfast at home with biscuits from the market.
Which Suits Whom
Apartment: three nights or more, or if you want a kitchen. Ask about key handover times before booking.
Holiday home: larger families; most are outside the centre, so check parking.
Hostel: solo travellers on a budget; Colmar has very few, so look early.
Cleaning fees and taxes appear apart from the nightly rate; in the same search some apartments added more than €50.
Basel airport to Colmar: how does the transfer work?
Leave the terminal on its French side, catch the Distribus 11 to Saint-Louis and continue north on a TER train (euroairport.com). With luggage, a hotel near Colmar station makes the last leg easy.
Where should first-time visitors stay in Colmar?
In Little Venice or the old town just north of it. The two run into each other, and Saint-Martin Church, Au Vieux Pignon and all six Christmas markets are within a few minutes' walk. After the lights come on, bed is a five-minute stroll away.
When should I book for the Christmas markets?
As early as you can. In a search on 15 October 2026, 120 properties were still free for a Tuesday night in early December, but only 28 for the Saturday night that week. Pick a weeknight if your dates allow. Market by market advice is in the Christmas card.
How much do hotels in Colmar cost?
December and January are worlds apart. Area ranges for a December weeknight are in the table above, from chain hotels on the edge of town at the low end to Little Venice at the top; the same hotels showed €50-205 for 12 to 13 January 2027 (Booking, 15 October 2026). Hotel by hotel picks are in the best hotels card.
Should I stay in Colmar or Strasbourg?
Colmar, if you want to see its markets lit up and walk back to bed. If Colmar is full, stay in Strasbourg and take the train: 25 minutes at best, 31 on average (Omio, October 2026).
What should I check before booking?
Total price: Booking adds taxes and fees on a separate line, so compare totals. Cancellation: 74 of the 120 properties free for that December Tuesday offered free cancellation. Breakfast: only 17 included it. Parking: the centre closes to cars during market hours; if you drive, book the hotel's parking.
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